Star Trek Producer Compares Section 31 Show to Mission: Impossible, Killing Eve

Star Trek fans can expect a complex and exciting take on Section 31 should the new series in development be picked up to series. The show will star Michelle Yeoh as Phillipa Georgiou, the former Terran Emperor from the Mirror Universe who is now an agent of the clandestine Starfleet intelligence agency. Speaking to The Los Angeles Times for a piece on the growing Star Trek franchise, executive producer Alex Kurtzman says the creative team behind the Section 31 spinoff is looking at some popular film and television works as touchstones.

"People locked in on Georgiou as being a wonderful oddity," Kurtzman says. "She is wicked, devious, manipulative and yet somehow radiates this incredible heart. People love her.

"We looked to shows like Killing Eve, to franchises like Mission: Impossible, things that were complicated on a plot level but also a character level. I think it's fun for people to see a show with a protagonist who's entirely unreliable. At the end of the day, she's going to do the right thing, but in the exact wrong way."

Georgiou jumped into the future in the second season finale of Star Trek: Discovery. This may explain why the Section 31 series, if picked up, won't' be seen until after Discovery's third season, as Kurtzman told ComicBook.com at the TCA 2019 Winter Press Tour in February.

"Well, Erika [Lippoldt] and Bo [Yeon Kim] are writing it now, so we're breaking story now," Kurtzman tells ComicBook.com. "And they're amazing, and they're a big part of Discovery, so they're on our staff too. So they're doing double duty this year, and our hope is that we will have a script in the next couple months, and then as soon as Discovery Season Three is over we're rolling right into that show. That's my hope."

"Michelle has shattered ceilings, broken boundaries, and astonished us with her grace and gravitas for decades," Kurtzman said in a statement when the spinoff was announced. "As a human, I adore her. As an actor, I revere her. Erika and Boey are remarkable, exciting writers who bring a fresh perspective to the world of Star Trek, and we're all thrilled to explore the next wild chapter in the life of Captain Philippa Georgiou."

"I'm so excited to continue telling these rich Star Trek stories," said Yeoh. "Being a part of this universe and this character specifically has been such a joy for me to play. I can't wait to see where it all goes – certainly I believe it will go 'where no WOMAN has ever gone before!'"

Are you excited about the Star Trek: Discovery spinoff? Let us know in the comments!

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